Rain or Increased Population?

We're not sure if it is the cooler, rainy weather or if baby hummers have now fledged, but the activity has been like this for hours. And there are 4 more feeders that are not in the BirdCam's field of view. This is so much fun! And nearly a full-time job keeping up with making nectar and filling feeders.

We've been busy with wholesale orders. New shipments have gone out to the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center in Texas, the Owl House in Michigan, and Beech Branch Gallery in Tennessee. If you're in the area, stop in and say howdy!

Getting ready for the Hummingbird Festival in Sedona, AZ, and Southwest Wings in Sierra Vista, AZ. We always see a lot of old friends in Sedona, and we're looking forward to our first visit in Sierra Vista. Not to mention that we're more than ready for a road trip!

Hummingbird fact for today: Basically, it is illegal in the United States to hold a hummingbird, a hummingbird nest, a hummingbird baby, or any part of a hummingbird, nest, or egg, in any type of captivity in any way, shape, or form. This means that unless you have a valid permit, it is illegal to trap, band, hold, harass, or control any hummingbird or any part of the hummingbird, nest, or egg.

New Retailer, New Shows, New Publicity

It's been an exciting week here! First, we sent off a shipment of Ozarklake feeders to a new-to-us retail location, Beech Branch Crafts & Art Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. We shipped a re-order to the South Padre Island Birding & Nature Center in Texas. We received word that we've been invited to participate in the Christmas Village in Nashville, TN, in November. And there is a wonderful article about us published today at Our Eyes Upon Missouri. 

Now we're off to the Festival des Fleurs in Lafayette, LA, and the Southwest Louisiana Garden Expo and Conference in Lake Charles, LA, the following weekend.

Whew! Makes us tired just reading about it!

Check out the hummingbird migration map! The ruby-throats are almost back in Missouri!

Hummingbird fact for today: One research study described a 3-gram hummingbird drinking 43 grams of sugar water in one day, a full 14 times its body weight.

It's Time for the Sedona Hummingbird Festival

We kind of hated to leave home because there are so many hummingbirds and they are such fun, but off we go to Sedona, AZ. This is THE PREMIER hummingbird festival and one that every hummer-lover should attend at least one. While we're at the Festival, our Etsy shop is "on vacation".

As noted above, we have TONS of hummers buzzing around constantly now. The newly-hatched ones have left the nest and the Moms have brought them all to the feeders. It's been so darn hot that they must think they are at home in the tropical habitat. This video was taken on a rainy day and they were feeding like crazy.

Thank goodness for our neighbor Steve who will keep the feeders full while we are gone. He also keeps the jelly feeders filled for the orioles. We have a bumper crop of those this year, too. Not sure exactly how many Orchard and Baltimore males and females we have in the area, but they too had a bumper crop of babies!

Another shipment of Ozarklake feeders went out to the Birding and Nature Center in South Padre Island, TX, as well as to Alley Gallery in Marion, IA. We're excited to be a part of the re-invention of downtown Marion, IA, This is good news for sure!

Hummingbird fact for today: Some hummingbirds are so small, they have been known to be caught by dragonflies and praying mantis, trapped in spider’s webs, snatched by frogs and stuck on thistles.